Campfire - Roll Call

If I seemed a bit absent last week, it's because I was.  It was my son's spring break and I was on vacation with him.  The family had plans to go camping (in a tent) and partake in all sorts of outside activities, but mother nature had other ideas.  Still, we kept busy, catching a couple of movies at the theater and doing other things to keep ourselves entertained.  It was a good week.  But the downside is that whenever I'm out of my normal routine things like reading blogs, responding to emails & blog comments, all fall to the wayside...so I'm sorry about that.  I'll be playing catch up for a couple days. 

One of the great things we did last week was a book campfire.  No, we didn't burn books (shuddering at the thought). With my previous two manuscripts I sat down with my wife while I was still in the outling phase and hashed out various story idea's.  It's a brainstorming concept I call a campfire and it really helps me solidify the story.  My latest inspiration for a novel will probably fall into the YA genre, so this time I included a member of the target audience, my 13 year old son.  The three of us spent a morning with me bouncing idea's off them and they in-turn adding their own suggestions.  My son really got into it and gave me some dynamite plot twists.  I'm really pumped to begin writing again while I'm waiting for the query process to play out for Fallen Knight.  If you're curious about what my first venture into the YA market will be, you can read a pitch-premise I left in the comments on Dianne Salerni's blog.

On another note, have you noticed a lot of instability in the blogosphere lately due changes with Google Friend Connect, Blogger word verification, as well as other issues leaving comments?  Even without all of that going on, I like to step back every now and then and take roll call.  This is a perfect time with the A to Z Challenge kicking off Sunday, so I’m taking this day to ask everyone who visits my blog to leave a short and simple comment.  Just a simple HI will do.  That especially goes for the lurkers. 

For some reason the term lurker has inherited a negative connotation, but in my book there’s nothing wrong with the practice.  I do it quite often.  Google Reader or any similar RSS reader makes a lot of us lurkers because in order to leave a comment it takes a few more clicks to get us to the point where we can do that, and sometimes that’s a few more clicks than we’re willing to devote.  There are times when I’ll stop in and read a blog, but still not leave a comment.  Usually it’s because I don’t have anything particularly relevant to add, or the topic just doesn’t interest me, but every now and then I’ll just be in a hurry and won’t have the time to write what I’d really like to.  I tell myself I’ll circle back later when I have time and write the comment I really want to contribute, and most of the time I do, but sometimes good intentions are wasted.  Whatever the reason…I’m lurking.

But today I’d like to get a better feel for how many of my followers actually do that…follow me.  So if you could, a short comment would really be appreciated.  It requires very little effort on your part, but means so much to me. J

Go ahead…sound off.  Don’t be shy.

PS.  Tomorrow will be the get to know your A to Z Challenge host for your truly.  I'd consider it a favor it you stop over and keep me company.  :)